


Standing at the Forge

by dozierosieposie



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Argo II (Percy Jackson), Book 3: The Mark of Athena, Bromance, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 20:11:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15444900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dozierosieposie/pseuds/dozierosieposie
Summary: “Listen man, if you’re here to skewer me and feed me to your pet dolphin, can you do it after I’ve fixed the ship? Please and thank you.”“I don’t have a pet dolphin,” Percy mumbled, “I have a pet hellhound.”Leo stared at him in horror, completely unsure if he was joking.





	Standing at the Forge

**Author's Note:**

> If there's one fandom I'm always here for, it's percy jackson  
> Percy and Leo didnt seem to get to talk much... so i decided to remedy that! they're my faves and its a crime they didnt get to hang???  
> set around chapter 29 of mark of athena

If there was one thing Leo was certain of, it was that the _Argo II_ _hated_ the Mediterranean.

It was as if his beloved ship were shutting down in objection to where it was being steered. (Leo wouldn’t have been surprised if that were actually true – the _Argo II_ was a magical ship after all.) He had the propulsion engine working at full capacity. It screamed in protest, pushed right to the limit as the trireme tore through the air.

In his beloved ship’s defence, the ancient lands didn’t seem all that fond of the _Argo II_ either. Leo was thrown dramatically across the engine room as the ship was jostled by what he suspected was their fourth storm spirit attack of the hour. He landed sideways in a pile of wood shavings, which he had been meaning to clean up. Disgusted with himself, he kicked them out of the way. The lanterns in the engine room swung precariously, tools flew off their hooks on the walls, and Leo’s poor engine room groaned angrily.

Leo dashed about the engine room, maniacally trying to fix the gearbox, which was currently on its last legs. He pouted slightly as he worked. The celestial bronze gears were each the size of a dinner plate, meshed together and turning against each other behind one wall, accessible by a Leo-sized hatch. They had been designed, smelted and moulded by Leo himself, and they’d been a beautiful piece of machinery, if he did say so himself. They were now corroded and smoking, juddering against each other as they were pushed further out of alignment. If the gears gave out, there would be no controlled application of power to the engines. The _Argo II_ would plummet to the sea, and Leo would unable to get the ship back under control. 

In other words, a fun Wednesday for Leo and his demigod buds.

He sighed, and peered through the hatch. If he could see right, he needed to replace three of the gears in order for them to continue to function. Not too bad.

“Really, _bonita_? You had to break? That’s cold.” He said grumpily to his busted gears. They creaked painfully in response.  

“I know, beautiful, I know. Don’t you worry. Your fairy godmother Leo’s here, he’s gonna get you all fixed up, nice and quick.” He pulled a Philips-head screwdriver from his enchanted toolbelt and gave it a little wave, as if it was a magic wand. Thankfully, there was no one to see him except the boiler.

He climbed into the gearbox, so that his legs stuck out. He was used to working this way; he always said that a job wasn’t done properly unless you got into it with your whole body. It was something that he’d picked up from his mom. He crooned a camp song while he clanged around in the gearbox, though it was horrendously out of tune.

“Wow, _bonita,_ you’re really banged up, huh?” he nattered, “Lucky for you, Leo brought spares, but you’re really not having a fun time, are ya?”

He unscrewed one gear, carefully but rapidly shoving the replacement he had tied at his belt in its place. He secured it in position, then shimmied out of the hatch backwards to get the next gear.

“Hey,” said a familiar voice at his back. Leo whirled, screwdriver aloft, and nearly skewered Percy Jackson.

“Woah!” Percy leapt back, alarmed. “Chill out, man, it’s just me!”

“Oops,” Leo pocketed his screwdriver. “Sorry.” Percy was staring at him uneasily. Leo could imagine what he looked like. His welding goggles were fixed atop his head, and he knew he was covered in machine oil. Wood chippings dusted his shoulders like splintery dandruff. His eyes probably looked wild from worrying about his gears. He tried to rearrange his face in what he hoped was a friendly expression.

“What’s up?” he tried to keep his voice calm, but it wavered slightly. Leo would be the first to admit that he was more than a little afraid of the son of Poseidon. The kid was just as powerful as Jason, but unlike Jason, Percy hadn’t known Leo for seven months. He didn’t get Leo’s sense of humour. What was more, it was Leo’s fault that Camp Jupiter had now declared war on Camp Half-Blood, Percy’s home. He knew that the eidolon had made him do it, but it’s not like anyone had mentioned the incident since. Leo still felt a bulking ball of guilt in the pit of stomach. It weighed him down and made it hard to swallow. He couldn’t forget the way Percy had looked at him afterwards, his handsome face full of rage and – Leo suspected – hatred. The thought of being _friends with Percy Jackson_ felt like a far away, unattainable goal. Out of the seven, Percy was the demigod Leo least wanted to be alone in a room with; he was worried he’d end up as Leo-flavoured fish food.

Now, Percy stood across from him, looking uncomfortable and very out of place. His green eyes wide, he looked around the engine room, a place he had clearly spent very little time (Leo knew that because it was where he spent a large amount of _his_ time).

“Do you, uh, talk to your machines a lot?” he asked. Leo was wary of the frown he was giving him, and he felt the urge to hide behind a table.

“Oh,” Leo laughed nervously, picking up one of the gears on his work table, mostly so his hands would have something to do. “You heard that. Yeah, my machines are the only ones who laugh at all my jokes.” He wondered how long Percy had been standing watching him – he really hoped he hadn’t heard the singing.

“And the referring to yourself in the third person?”

Leo’s face burned. “Listen man, if you’re here to skewer me and feed me to your pet dolphin, can you do it after I’ve fixed the ship? Please and thank you.”

“I don’t have a pet dolphin,” Percy mumbled, “I have a pet hellhound.”

Leo stared at him in horror, completely unsure if he was joking.

He wasn’t sure why Percy was down here. Did he want to find out? He really just wanted to be on his own to finish his repairs. It was so much easier than talking. But he didn’t want to seem rude; Piper often told him it was something he needed to work on.

“What can I do for you, man? They need me back up top or something? Cause I’m sorta busy.” he started climbing back into the gearbox. He realised it meant that Percy was now talking to his backside, but he liked it better than face to face conversation.

“Nah, Jason’s got it covered. I just wanted to uh-” There was a pause, “Can I help?”

Leo was so startled he stuck he head back out the hole, and whacked his head on the way out. “Can you what now?”

Percy looked like he wanted to sink through the deck. “Uh, well,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “So your dad once said to me-“

“Wait, time out.” Leo said, “I didn’t know you’d met my dad.”

Percy huffed a laugh. “Long story. Labyrinth… there was a mechanical spider involved… anyway,” he shook his head, as if he was focusing hard to stay on topic. “Your dad, he told me something. He told me about judging people. He said to stand at his forge, and… smash with his hammer or something? I dunno man I don’t remember all that well.”

But Leo knew the saying. _Never judge someone until you’ve stood at his forge and worked with his hammer._ It was something his sister, Nyssa, loved to recite to him. He missed that girl. He said nothing – a difficult feat for him – waiting for Percy to finish his train of thought.

“We never really talked much. I wasn’t sure what to make of you. And then after what happened in New Rome…”

Leo wished he would stop talking. He didn’t need to be reminded of what happened.

“It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have given you a hard time. That’s not me, y’know? I was on edge. I guess what I’m trying to say…” Percy shoved his hands in his pockets, a flush across his cheeks, “I’m standing at your forge. Literally.”

All of Leo’s available thought screamed _WHAAAT?!_ He stared at him for a moment. Two. Then he spoke.

“Wow. That was really hard for you to say, huh?”

“Shut up and tell me if I can help.” The son of Poseidon grumbled.

“Sure thing _hermano_ , hand me that screw on the bench there? The little bronze one.” Percy complied and Leo fitted it into its home in the second new gear. He shook his head. Percy Jackson, the great son of Poseidon, the Hero of Olympus, had just apologised to him for giving him a hard time? Leo must have been having a fever dream.

He had looked up to Percy since seeing him back in New Rome. Annabeth had told him stories while they had worked on the _Argo II._ Her boyfriend seemed too good to be true. And then he had seen him in action; a whirlwind of watery strength, radiating power and poise. Percy was like Jason; confident, perfect, the Aqua Boy Wonder. Leo was Repair Boy. He could only dream of that kind of power.

And yet, here Percy was, asking to help, to be told what to do by Leo. He was apologising. He was looking to Leo, for direction, for forgiveness.

The others had drummed into him about the bonds between the seven of them. If they were to stand a chance against Gaia, the bonds needed to be strong and unyielding, almost like his gears, the celestial bronze bolts that held the ship together.

Well. Time to make some bonds.

“So,” he called through the gearbox hole, “You know anything about engines for Ancient Greek magical warships?”

Percy smiled grudgingly. “Looks like my boat knowledge doesn’t extend that far.”

“No worries, buddy. Always great to have someone who wants to learn. Get comfy with the tools man. I’ll be out in a sec.”

Percy looked almost startled by his response, but Leo didn’t spare much thought on it. He dove back into the gearbox and finally replaced the last corroded gear. He climbed out, triumphant.

“What’s that?” Percy indicated the battered hunk of metal in his hand.

“This? Oh, ya know, just something that could have broken the ship beyond repair and sent us to our watery graves.” At Percy’s horrified expression, he added, “Don’t worry! I fixed it, I think.”

“That’s reassuring.” Snorted Percy. He looked like he wanted to say more; he was shuffling his feet and his eyes flitted about nervously.

“What?”

“Nothing man. I just… I thought you’d tell me to get lost.”

“What? Why would I do that?”

Percy shrugged. “Don’t know much about machines. But I’m useless in the air, so there’s not much point me being up on deck.”

He looked so glum, Leo’s heart went out to him. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but he supposed everyone felt incompetent sometimes. Hell, Leo felt like that at least once a day. Who wouldn’t, with best friends like Jason and Piper? He thought he was alone in that feeling, but in this moment, Percy looked almost as incapable as Leo felt most of the time.

He wouldn’t show Percy pity; he didn’t think he’d appreciate it. Instead he shrugged and said, “Not useless if you can do something here.”

“Yeah?” Percy’s expression brightened slightly and Leo smiled.

“You know how to realign the axle on a propeller to spin at a 45 degree angle?”

“Do I what?” Percy suddenly looked as if his brain hurt. Leo guessed he’d laid it on too thick.

“Ookay, maybe not. What about cooling down the engine system? There’s some seawater in the tank over there.”

Percy grinned. “That, I can do.” His uneven grin was infectious, and Leo grinned back.

“Cool man. While you’re doing that you can tell me this story about my dad, a labyrinth and mechanical spiders?”

“It was _the_ Labyrinth, and like I said. Long story. Annabeth tells it better…”

“Bro, _all_ demigod stories are long stories! And I wanna hear it from you. Something tells me you’ll leave all the good stuff in.”

“The good stuff?”

“Yeah man, the fights, the sick moves, the pain and anguish. Stuff that keeps this little demigod’s brain interested.”

Percy laughed, and they set to work.

Maybe _friends with Percy Jackson_ wasn’t too far away after all.

**Author's Note:**

> [I have a tumblr](https://dozierosieposie.tumblr.com/)   
>  come send me requests or just be my friend!


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